In this lesson, we will study interrogative pronouns and adjectives in French.
Interrogative pronouns and adjectives are important tools that we use to form questions in French.
If the interrogative pronoun is followed by a noun, it becomes an interrogative adjective, e.g., “Quel bâtiment est le plus grand?” (Which building is the tallest?).
In this case, the interrogative “quel” is an interrogative adjective. If it is not followed by a noun, “quel” becomes an interrogative pronoun, e.g., “Quel est plus grand?” (Which is taller?).
| Interrogative pronoun/adjective | English meaning | Examples |
| Que? Quoi? | What? | Que fais-tu? What are you doing? |
| Qui? | Who/Whom? | Qui a fait cela? Who did this? |
| À qui? | Whose? | À qui est ce livre? Whose book is this? |
| Comment? | How? | Comment as-tu fais cela? How did you do it? |
| Quel(s)? Quelle(s)? | Which? | Quelles sont tes clés? Which ones are your keys? |
| Combien? | How much? How many? | Combien coûte ce manteau? How much does this coat cost? |
| Quand? | When? | Quand veux-tu venir? When do you want to come? |
| Où? | Where? | Où es-tu en ce moment? Where are you now? |
| Pourquoi? | Why? | Pourquoi ne veux-tu pas manger? Why don’t you want to eat? |
“Que” vs. “Quoi”
The interrogative “quoi” (what) is often used in familiar language, for example, “C’est quoi?” (What is this?) or “Tu fais quoi?” (What are you doing?), or when a preposition is used with the verb, e.g., “En quoi pouvez-vous m’aider?” (In what can you help me?), “De quoi parles-tu?” (What are you talking about?), etc.
“Que” vs. “Qu’est-ce que”
The interrogative “que” has a longer form that is more formal and polite, which is “qu’est-ce que” /kes-kə/, e.g., “Qu’est-ce que vous voudriez manger?” (What would you like to eat?).
Notice that the subject always precedes the verb when we use “qu’est-ce que.”
Gender & Number Forms of “Quel”
The interrogative adjective “quel” (which) has four forms depending on their gender and number.
These forms are: “quel” (masculine singular), “quelle” (feminine singular), “quels” (masculine plural), and “quelles” (feminine plural).
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